Letters -- Published Jan. 28, 2014

As a nonprofit group, it is gratifying to witness firsthand the generosity of people, businesses and organizations throughout the year.

As a nonprofit group, it is gratifying to witness firsthand the generosity of people, businesses and organizations throughout the year.

This generosity is magnified over the holiday and Christmas season, and the beneficiaries are often moved to tears when they are presented with gifts for their children and food for their tables.

The Child Abuse Prevention Council was able to brighten the season for children who otherwise would not have experienced a joyous Christmas because of the support and giving spirit of St. Joseph's Medical Center staff; the Stockton Chamber of Commerce's Green Team San Joaquin; the staff and members of the Builder's Exchange and Diede Construction; AMR; Ciara Gifts; Calone and Harrel Law Firm; United Rental; the California Highway Patrol; and the Leo Club.

The CAPC would especially like to recognize the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds for its logistic support. The fairgrounds provided a free space to collect, organize and disseminate the gifts for each family - no small feat considering that over 1,500 gifts were part of that exchange!

On behalf of the children and families that we serve, the CAPC extends grateful thanks to those individuals, businesses and organizations that step up year after year to give children and families a Christmas to remember. Your kindness is greatly appreciated by many who may not have the voice to tell you!

Lindy Turner-Hardin

executive director

It's been a long time since I wrote a letter to the editor.

I wanted to let your readers hear about my attempt to buy stamps by mail from the U.S. Postal Service.

On Dec. 2, I mailed a $46 check to the post office on Arch Road in an envelope furnished by the post office. My check cleared my bank on Friday, Dec. 6. After a two-week wait, my daughter tried to find out why I had not received my stamps.

She talked to a lady at the Hammer Ranch post office, who took her name and phone number and said she would check and call her. Another two-week wait and no phone call.

I wrote a letter to the postmaster at the Arch Road Post Office. A lady called me and said the stamps were mailed to me on Dec. 4, and she would talk to her supervisor and call me back. No phone call back. After a seven-week wait and many phone calls and no stamps, it has cost me $46 to learn not to try to buy stamps by mail.

Bertha Byrd

Stockton

It is important that there is water in the Delta.

The local farmers and Southern California have been fighting over our water for 200 years. It is a bad idea to build that pipe in the Delta so they can ship our water to Southern California.

The Delta is already very shallow. When they take more of the water that is supposed to stay in the north so we can irrigate our crops and serve the communities, it will be gone because we have to share it with John Boehner and the rest of the Republicans in Congress.